Seattle
Category
5 reasons I love autumn in Seattle
Welcome, autumn! I hope you’re enjoying the change of season. I certainly am. There are many reasons so many people love this time of year, but I’m listing my top 5.
1. It’s the perfect time for a staycation. September through November is the best time to visit Seattle, according to U.S. News & World Report. The tourists crowds have thinned and temperatures have cooled, making it easier to visit popular destinations and landmarks.
2. Snoqualmie Falls! Located 29 miles from downtown Seattle, this scenic attraction is located in a two-acre park, which includes a gift shop and observation deck. It’s the perfect backdrop for autumn’s spectacular foliage. 
3. Apple picking. For many people, a trip to the local apple orchard to pick apples and then snack on hot cider and donuts is an annual tradition. The mild autumn weather makes a visit to the orchard especially pleasurable, and the multitude of local orchards makes for a great afternoon outing with family and friends. Check out these easy recipes for applesauce, apple crisp and apple butter before you bring home a bushel.
4. Yurt camping. Outdoor enthusiasts love autumn, but let’s be honest. Sometimes the Pacific Northwest weather can be drizzly and damp. Camping in a yurt means you don’t have to cancel your plans if the weather isn’t cooperating.
5. Local harvest festivals and neighborhood celebrations. Many of the communities in and around Seattle hold special events this time of year. Online listings can help you discover a nearby pumpkin patch, fall festival or other autumn celebration.
What is your favorite thing about autumn? Add it to the list!
Release Day - Marriage Under Fire
Now available! MARRIAGE UNDER FIRE, Book 4 in the Grayce Walters Mystery Series
Marine veteran Maddy Jeffers never expected her most demanding and daunting mission would come off the battlefield. Ordered to infiltrate a Seattle terrorist cell, Maddy must pose as a loving wife to Major Hunter Hines. The undercover role begins to feel all too real when Maddy falls hard for the rugged, macho Marine.
Duty and discipline are Hunter Hines’s credo, guiding every decision and every action. But constant proximity with the fierce and enticing Maddy is veering his mission wildly off course. Although their role as man and wife is only pretend, there is nothing false about his out-of-control desire for his partner.
When Maddy’s life is threatened by an ISIS cell, protecting her becomes the only mission that matters, and Hunter is willing to break all the rules to save her. As the danger heats up around these two veteran heroes, Maddy and Hunter must walk a narrow path between passion and survival.
Available at online retailers: Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | Google | BN
Finding inspiration in Seattle
I frequently feature actual Seattle landmarks in my Grayce Walters series, partly because I love my home city and partly to create a sense of realism for readers who are familiar with this region. Part of the storyline for Marriage Under Fire, the September release in my contemporary romantic suspense series, was inspired by Seattle’s local refugee and immigrant community.
One of my primary research resources for this was the Refugee Women’s Alliance (ReWA), an organization that provides assistance and support to refugee and immigrant women and their families. ReWA has been active in Seattle’s multicultural community for more than 30 years and their work is life changing. Here are some of their accomplishments and compelling facts:
- Services are available in more than 60 languages/dialects
- More than 30 percent of King County residents are foreign-born, based on the 2010 Census
- ReWA helps refugees learn English, find housing and jobs, and gain U.S. citizenship
- Services from ReWA also include domestic violence aid, youth & senior programs, and meals
Yet another reason I love being a romantic suspense author is being able to showcase incredible organizations such as this that make a difference in the community.
Researching Seattle farmers markets for Marriage Under Fire
I’m currently working on MARRIAGE UNDER FIRE, Book 4 in the Grayce Walters contemporary romantic suspense series. One of the scenes is set in the Columbia City Farmers Market where Maddy and Hunter are working undercover.
Seattle has seven neighborhood farmers markets, each of which offers locally grown produce, artisan food products, meat and seafood, and other farm-fresh products. South Seattle’s Columbia City farmers market features one of the most diverse populations of all the markets.
I love incorporating actual Seattle locations into my books, both to lend authenticity to the storyline but also to introduce readers to neighborhood locales they may not be familiar with. Researching local farmers markets was no hardship because I had the opportunity to experience the local Pacific Northwest’s bounty.
Photos from Columbia City Farmers Market Facebook page.
Now available ~ MEN UNDER FIRE
The release of a new book is always a thrilling event for an author, no matter how many other titles they’ve published. It’s with great excitement that I invite you to join me in celebrating the release of MEN UNDER FIRE, Book 3 in the Grayce Walters contemporary romantic suspense series.
Hollie Thomas, the feisty, tattooed office assistant to Grayce Walters, has come a long way from living on the streets. Along with finding a job she loves, she’s found friends and safety. When her new life unravels, she faces dangers that dwarf her troubled past. Fighting to survive, she discovers that sometimes what you need the most might be found in the one person you failed to see coming.
Returning home from the war and struggling to find his way, Sergeant Nick Welby, and his bomb-sniffing golden lab, use their skill set in the last place he’d ever imagined—Seattle’s Waterfront. To protect the one woman who matters, Nick and his trusty canine partner will risk everything to rescue her and Seattle from disaster.
Embroiled in Grayce Walters’ most perilous case—a terrorist plot with the threat of deadly explosives—can Nick and Hollie work together to save themselves and each other before it’s too late?
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1FfYfRl
BN: http://bit.ly/1FakMhC
iBooks: http://apple.co/1KzAFWD
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1cixWSf
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/1J0UWUu